The Works (Affairs of the Heart)

Chapter 10

Brian's P.O.V.

After I gave Freddie his bath, I carry him to our bed so he can sleep off his hangover. It hurts my heart to see Freddie so vulnerable and so fragile like this. Why he chose to drink himself to near death is beyond me. I'm assuming it all became too much for him and he used alcohol as a way to escape his problems. Nevertheless, Im hoping my surprise proposal will restore some sense of purpose in his life. Give him some hope and security and to let him know that he is loved not only by me but by millions. One can only hope right? Anyway, I'm going down into our library to catch up on some song writing for our next album.

Since Phoebe and the rest of our staff have off, I'll remain in the library and let Freddie come and find me in here. I'll light some candles to set the mood and make it a real romantic affair. I also have a nice dinner planned for us to set off the occasion. I'm glad I took the spare ribs out of the freezer this morning. Baked spared ribs with onion sauce is Freddie's favorite and he just loves the way I prepare them. I'll add on a couple of sides probably mashed potatoes and asparagus to complete the meal. Nothing to fancy just a simple dinner to show how much I love him.There will be no alcohol tonight because I'm sure he's had enough to last him for awhile. Moreover, let's hope all goes well and he says yes to my marriage proposal. It's time for us to make our relationship Official.

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A few hours later...

Freddie's P.O.V.

Oh my God, I'm just waking up and my head is killing me. The last thing I remember is Brian carrying me off to bed after giving me a much needed bath. He is such a sweet heart for taking care of me the way that he does. I proceed to sit up and a sudden wave of nausea comes over me. Immediately, I run to the loo and vomit my guts out. I stay by the toilet and as I'm hovering ,I literally start crying and sobbing. I continue puking what's left inside me then I flush the toilet. I stand up and walk over to the mirror and its an awful site. I look like shit. I walk over to the sink to wash my face and brush my teeth. Brian the absolute darling that he is has left me a pitcher of ice water and pain pills to take on my night stand. I sit down on the bed and take the pills while downing several glasses of water. My throat is so dry and I feel dehydrated so I drink a few more glasses of water to replenish me. I then just sit here and think with my head down, tears falling down my face. I honestly don't know how I'm going to tell Brian about my affair with Roger. I wish I could just die right now. I probably would be better off, but I made a promise to myself to tell Brian the truth. Perhaps I could tell him why I did what I did and maybe he would understand.I can only hope and pray that one day he will forgive me and take me back.

I take a deep breath and start the process of getting dress. I throw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and comb my hair to look somewhat presentable. Once I'm done getting dress I began the arduous task of making my way down stairs. As I'm going down the steps, I almost turn back. My heart is racing and I'm terrified. I'm not sure if I can do this. I'm not sure if I can face Brian right now. Tears start falling down my face and for a moment I sit down on the steps.

Somehow, I gather the courage and proceed down the stairs slowly. The walk of shame if you want to call it that. I continue taking deep breaths during my decent and as I approach the great room of our house it appears to be eerily empty. Where is everyone? Where is Brian? I had to take a moment and think. That's right, I forgot I gave everyone off during my alcohol fueled binge. I go on to survey the remaining parts of the house and as I walk towards the library, I see what appears to be several candles lit in the dark. 'Oh my God what's going on', I said out loud. When I enter the room, I see Brian sitting in the corner in his favorite recliner. He looks up at me and smiles.

"Hi, how are you feeling?"

'Oh my God Brian you scared me'

"Im sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." "I wanted you to find me in here."

'Well, you did a pretty good job of it dear.' (I half chuckled not wanting to seem put off).

Brian gets up and walks over towards me with a coy smirk on his face. He comes up very close to me and places a tender kiss on my lips. He then takes my hand and walks us over to the near by sofa and sits us down.

'Darling, what's this all about?' 'Why are you sitting in the dark with the candles lit?'

Brian doesn't say anything and just stares at me with a serious look. Immediately, I start trembling and feel nervous at what he wants to discuss. Our eye contact hasn't broken which seems like its been going on forever and I'm wondering if he knows about Roger and our affair.Incidentally, Brian has been known to approach major issues lightly which probably explains the candles in the dark setting. Even if the subject is terrible, he'll find away to make light of the situation. Sort of lessening the blow if you will. Maybe that's what he wants to talk about. He's through with me and he's using this tactic to do it. I can only speculate, but whatever it is, I'm prepared to accept the consequences. So many thoughts pass between our eyes and not one of us has spoken. Finally, a blink from me followed by a steady stream of tears has broken our eye contact. Suddenly, Brian without saying a word embraces me in a tight hug and I break down hysterically in his arms. Straight away, he tries to calm me down.

"Hey Freddie, look at me Freddie"

As he's talking to me I have my face buried into the crook of his neck. I'm so rack with guilt I can barely even look at him.

"Can you please tell me why you're so upset.""You know I had this whole evening planned for us." "I want to help you if you let me." "Just tell me what's wrong."

I slowly look up at him and he wipes away my tears from my face. I try and gather my thoughts for what I want to say but I can barely speak.

'Oh God Brian, I've been so horrible towards you and I.... I.... (I trail off) (more sniffles and sobs).

Brian continues hugging me and rocking me back and forth then all of sudden he looks at me with a glare I've never seen before. Right away, I tense up and start shaking. I'm awfully scared right now and feel threatened at what he's going to do next. Brian takes my hand with a firm grip and stands up. I stand up with him, but he motions for me to remain seated. While he's standing, his eyes are still locked on mines. Then out of nowhere, Brian gets down on one knee and takes my other hand in his.

Immediately my eyes widened and I think to myself Oh My GOD NO.... God please NO. Please No, no no no, I kept saying it to myself over and over again. I began shaking my head in disbelief. Brian is not doing what I think he is doing. He can't, not now Please No... But he does just that.

"Freddie, I know we've talked about this more than once." "No, look at me Freddie." "Its time." "I love you and I always will." "Will you please do me the honor of being my Husband and MARRY ME?" "Please"